Actor. Director. Crazy?

Crispin Glover is an undeniably weird person.

He is best known as McFly from Back to the Future, but is also known for portraying quirky characters in Hollywood films such as Bartleby, Willard and Charlie’s Angels.

But for a select few, he has the reputation of being a cult filmmaker, author and musician. And this weekend he is bringing the first two films in his unfinished trilogy to the Clinton Street Theater.

Glover’s movies, much like the man, are strange. So strange that Glover passed on trying to get any sort of studio funding. Instead, he acts in mediocre-to-shitty movies so he can pay for everything himself.

What Is It? is the first of these films. Written, directed and starring Crispin, the film is a hero’s journey that is at times funny and disturbing. Most of the actors are people with Down syndrome, or porn stars. It took Glover 10 years to make, and the narration covers one day battling a “Dueling Demi-God Auteur.”

More of a plot synopsis doesn’t lend itself to paper, but other characters include the young man, the young man’s outer sanctum friend and inner sanctum choking victim, inner sanctum concubine and outer sanctum snail collector, and baby elephant. Sound pretentious? Well yeah, it kind of is.

What Is It? brings to mind director Alejandro Jodorowsky’s early films. First off, both are in the surrealist mode. The narration plays out in seemingly unrelated sequences, making viewers come to their own conclusions. Also, both show people in symbolic quests through worlds littered with subverted imagery.

What Is It? is littered with offensive imagery, including swastikas and blackface. But drawing the most ire from audiences is the amount of snails dissolved by salt. Seriously, there are a thousand childhoods worth of snail killing. Yet again, it is something to be seen.

The second movie in the trilogy, It Is Fine! EVERYTHING IS FINE, is also playing this weekend. Not much is known about this other than it was written by a man from Utah with cerebral palsy, and is based on his sexual fantasies. Sounds impressive, though.

Since Crispin plans on never releasing his films on DVD, chances to see the spectacle are few. It should be quite a night.

This event is at the Clinton Street Theater, and the cost is $18. What Is It? plays Friday and Sunday. It is fine! EVERYTHING IS FINE plays Saturday and Monday. All shows start at 7 p.m.